Well, I’m still not totally through figuring out what craziness is in store for me this year, but I know that it’s going to involve a lot of sweaters. I really need to use up a good size chunk of my stash this year (for the sake of sanity), and sweaters are a darn good way to do that.

But my first sweater is decidedly not a stash sweater.

Over the holidays, my husband and I found ourselves shuffling among the crowds at the mall a little more frequently than we’d have liked. But one upside of that is that my husband got to see a lot of the mannequins decked out in their nice fancy sweaters. We kept passing by one window that had a lighly textured Aran type sweater in a creamy oatmeal color, and over time it really grew on him. Until finally, the question was asked – “can you make one for me?”

WELL OF COURSE! WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SO SOONER! I GET TO GET MORE YARN!!!(and also – he doesn’t want me to buy one, but make one. Double score!)

I’ve been slowly introducing him to different yarn options, and he’s picked Wool of the Andes Tweed. It’s got such a rustic look, but the nice hand and twist that makes Wool of the Andes such a heardwearing yarn. And that’s good for me, too, because I will be using a lot of it for this sweater!

Now all that’s left is to pick what color. There are lots of options on the table:

On the top from the left there are Flagstone Heather and Marine Heather, and on the bottom are Farmhouse Heather, Sequoia Heather, Thirst Heather and Down Heather. All great colors, and slightly more uplifting than the black and navy blue he usually likes!

I’m really itching to cast on. I haven’t even designed the thing yet, but that’s what ribbing is for! That’ll give me some time to work out the particulars and get some of it knit at the same time. But I can’t cast on till I’ve got a color picked!